The BBQ Obsession

Honey and Ginger Glazed Baby Back Ribs

Commencement speakers and wannabe English professors frequently exhort audiences to follow their passions. This is all well and good, but I have always believed that a world full of young idealists wandering around following their hearts would be a dangerous one. Cynical? Maybe.

That said, if the world were perfect and money was not an obstacle, I can assure you I would crisscross the globe in search of barbecue nirvana. I believe, to paraphrase Ben Franklin, that the dance of smoke, fire, meat, and reluctantly, vegetables, is proof that God wants us to be happy.

Pulled pork, brisket, ribs, sausages, you name it, I’ll eat it and when I’m feeling bold, make it.

Barbecue is very personal, like painting. One of the saddest memories of my adult life was saying goodbye to the staff at the Half Moon BBQ in Silver Spring, Maryland on their last Saturday night.

But barbecue is supposed to be happy, and I was happy to come home from work to find the July issue of Bon Appétit, completely dedicated to barbecue, sitting on the mail pile.

The cover photo of Honey and Ginger Glazed Baby Backs pretty much sums it up: crusty spices, crispy meat on the outside, even the obligatory grease spots.

This is 21st century barbecue, which is to say it is global. Korean beef barbecue and pork belly shares space with Spanish grilled black cod and Turkish chicken kebabs. Needless to say, there’s plenty of material for Summer experimentation.

As Summer rolls on, you can expect a lot more grilling here at The Foodventure. Of course, we’d love to hear about your favorites, too.